Thoughts Of Home1: A PicturePerfect Afternoon
by Sailor Doc
Summary: Will Makoto find the courage to take a chance on true love, and tell Ami what's in her heart? Shoujoai.


Thoughts Of Home  
  
'A Picture-Perfect Afternnoon'  
  
by Sailor Doc  
  
Authors Note: This story is told from the perspective of Makoto, who   
  
on the night of her 4th anniversary, remembers back to the day she   
  
first found the courage to take a chance on love.  
  
***************************  
  
It had been a beautiful spring day. The cherry trees were all in   
  
bloom, and a gentle breeze blew across the path they were using as a   
  
short-cut across the park. They had been in no big rush really, having   
  
decided to stop for a cup of tea at the Crown before Makoto walked Ami   
  
home.  
  
Makoto realized she had no idea what they had talked about at   
  
Rei's during the senshi meeting they had just left. All she could   
  
remember was the sparkling blue of Ami's eyes, the lilt of her laughter   
  
at some silly comment of Minako's, and the way her own heart had   
  
started to race when, unexpectedly, those self-same eyes had met her   
  
own. For a moment time had seemed to stand still, and then Ami had   
  
looked away, a light blush sweeping across her cheeks as she fiddled a   
  
bit with her pen.  
  
Makoto had smiled. She couldn't help it!  
  
For some time now they had both felt the attraction growing   
  
between them. From the first time she had seen Ami there had been a   
  
pulling in her heart, her very soul, to the shy young genius. She   
  
hadn't truly recognized it for what it was back then, but still, she   
  
felt an awareness when she was around Ami that she felt in the presence   
  
of no one else. In counterpoint to those feelings was the undeniable   
  
fact that when Ami wasn't around Makoto felt that something vital was   
  
missing... she just couldn't explain it.  
  
She really couldn't remember when the longing looks had started   
  
either... but it was when they had that Makoto had started to feel that   
  
maybe her emotional upheaval wasn't all one-sided. That had been a   
  
relief!  
  
They had always gravitated toward each other in any group,   
  
maneuvering around so they ended up next to each other. They never   
  
planned it, it just seemed to work out that way. Over time their   
  
friends had just expected it and at restaurants, concerts and parties a   
  
space was always made next to one of them for the other if she was   
  
running late, no questions asked.  
  
Any excuse, or no excuse at all really was needed to touch each   
  
other. A hand on her shoulder, her waist, the small of her back, her   
  
cheek.  
  
"Lint?"  
  
"An eyelash you say?"  
  
"Cookie crumbs? Again?!?"  
  
Makoto grinned. She had never baked so many cookies in her life   
  
as she had back then.  
  
"Mako-chan! Where did all this cat hair come from?!"  
  
Ami hadn't known it then, but Makoto would have gladly let   
  
Artemis sleep in her sweater drawer for the rest of his life if it   
  
would mean that Ami would attack her as enthusiastically with a lint   
  
brush every morning!  
  
Makoto sighed. She was acutely aware of the young woman walking   
  
at her side. Neither of them had spoken a word since leaving the   
  
Hikawa shrine, but sometimes words just weren't necessary. They were   
  
clearly both deep in thought and Makoto was more than willing to bet   
  
Ami's thought's were more or less mirroring her own. Playtime was   
  
over. It was time to come clean about their relationship and either   
  
let it grow... or let it go. Makoto was ready to move forward with   
  
something they had never really talked about, but... for sometime now   
  
actions had been speaking louder than words. She was ready... she just   
  
prayed to god Ami was...  
  
Swallowing the huge lump in her throat, and wiping the sweat from   
  
her palms, Makoto opened her mouth to speak, but slammed it shut again   
  
as Ami placed a hand on her forearm and brought them both to a complete   
  
stop. With a smile on her face, Ami held her forefinger up to her lips   
  
to indicate that Makoto should remain quiet, then turned to look off   
  
between the hedges to her right. Makoto complied and there, secluded   
  
beneath a cherry tree, complete with picnic basket and blanket, sat   
  
Haruka and Michiru. It was clear they had selected a secluded area of   
  
the park and Haruka was holding Michiru in her arms as she leaned back   
  
against the tree. It was a peaceful scene and they appeared to be   
  
talking quietly to each other. Ami and Makoto smiled at each other,   
  
unconsciously reaching for each other's hands before turning back to   
  
watch the older girls again. Haruka must have said something to make   
  
Michiru laugh. She smiled as she turned to look back at her partner   
  
with a quick retort. Spellbound, they watched as Haruka returned her   
  
lover's smile and, leaning forward, kissed her lips.  
  
Ami lowered her eyes, not wanting to be an intruder on such an   
  
intimate moment. Makoto had turned to Ami, enchanted by her shyly   
  
lowered eyes and gentle blush. Softly squeezing Ami's hand, Makoto   
  
turned the smaller girl to face her. With her free hand she reached   
  
forward, cupping Ami's chin, forcing her to raise her head and look at   
  
her. Gazing deeply into Ami's beautiful blue eyes, Makoto had smiled   
  
at her, almost wistfully, silently asking for permission for what she   
  
was about to do. Then, leaning forward, her right hand moving to   
  
caress Ami's soft cheek, Makoto had closed her eyes and gently pressed   
  
her lips to Ami's. She was instantly thrilled by the softness of those   
  
achingly sweet lips and felt the beginnings of what she knew would be a   
  
life-long addiction. Answering some unknown and mysterious inner   
  
voice, they had both moved forward into each others arms, the kiss   
  
itself undisturbed and undeterred. The moment she had felt Ami respond   
  
to the kiss and move into her arms had changed her life forever.  
  
A change she would never regret.  
  
Her world, always a bit off-kilter since the death of her   
  
parents, had suddenly righted itself upon the foundation of this small,   
  
wonderful young woman in her arms. Time had no meaning as their lips   
  
had parted slightly to allow tongues permission to explore new   
  
territory, both of them lost in sensations they had never felt before.  
  
A rogue breeze had somehow penetrated into the haze they had both   
  
fallen into, ruffling their hair and cooling slightly warm cheeks.   
  
Reluctantly breaking their kiss, yet still locked in their first   
  
embrace, they had looked into each other's eyes as if for the first   
  
time, and seen each other in a totally new light. With secret smiles,   
  
they had playfully leaned together, rubbing noses and giggling before   
  
Makoto had swiped another quick kiss from the more-than-willing Ami.   
  
Then, hand-in-hand they had continued their original trip toward the   
  
Crown...  
  
*********  
  
Makoto smiled and gently stroked her lover's thick blue locks,   
  
more than content to lay there watching the steady rise and fall of her   
  
chest. Makoto's smile widened though as she remembered meeting up with   
  
Haruka and Michiru later that same day...  
  
*********  
  
She had been standing just inside the entrance to the game room   
  
with Ami when suddenly a tall form had come up between them. Startled,   
  
Makoto had looked up to see Haruka standing there with her arms draped   
  
over both her and Ami's shoulders.  
  
"So, my little kittens," she'd said in that distinctive drawl of   
  
hers. "Did you two have a nice walk in the park this afternoon?" Eyes   
  
twinkling, she had looked up at Michiru, who had closed her eyes, and   
  
was laughing delicately into her hand, clearly amused by her lover's   
  
antics.  
  
"Uh, yeah," Makoto had said, Haruka's attitude making her a bit   
  
hesitant to answer any questions she may have. Something was   
  
definitely up!  
  
"Oh yes!" Ami had enthused, her eyes sparkling in delight. She   
  
had obviously not caught on to Haruka's vibe. "It was a beautiful   
  
afternoon, and the cherry blossoms were just lovely!"  
  
"Yes, yes they were," Haruka said. "So, did anything special   
  
happen while you were there?" she prodded. "Anything you might want   
  
to," she shot a look at Michiru, "oh, I don't know, maybe talk to   
  
Michiru and I about? Hum???"  
  
The playful look on Haruka's face and Michiru's gentle laughter   
  
had been more than ample indication that they knew something. Both Ami   
  
and Makoto had blushed then, embarrassed that maybe the two outer   
  
senshi had caught them watching their quiet tryst. Makoto stood there,   
  
stunned as Ami stammered an apology to the older girls.  
  
"We're terribly sorry! Please forgive our thoughtlessness! We   
  
had no intention of encroaching on your privacy in any way! We really   
  
had no idea you would be there and..."  
  
"Whoa! Easy Ami, calm down!" Haruka pleaded with the obviously   
  
upset young woman. "It's all right! Really!" Looking up to the   
  
totally speechless Makoto, she had then cast a pleading eye for help to   
  
her kinder, gentler mate.  
  
"Oy, oy Haruka... look what you're teasing has done now."  
  
Haruka had looked properly chastised, and eagerly made way as   
  
Michiru came forward to take one of each of Ami and Makoto's hands.  
  
"Don't mind her, she really means well," the lovely green-haired   
  
woman said as she squeezed their hands, her eyes sparkling merrily.   
  
"And please don't feel bad about this afternoon! That's the very last   
  
thing we want you to do! Right Haruka?" she said, cutting her eyes   
  
over to the blonde.  
  
"Eh? Oh! Yeah! Right! The very last thing!" Haruka agreed   
  
enthusiastically, nodded her head vigorously. "Cross my heart!"  
  
Michiru had giggled at that, then turned back to the girls,   
  
trying to again wrestle a serious, calming look onto her face.  
  
"It really doesn't bother us that you saw us cuddling beneath the   
  
cherry trees. I had been promising Haruka a chance to go bird hunting   
  
with the new telephoto lens I got her for her camera last Christmas and   
  
had decided to turn it into a picnic outing."  
  
"Did you say 'outing', Michiru?" Haruka piped up, a huge grin on   
  
her face.  
  
"Haruka!" Michiru had said, closing her eyes. To Makoto it had   
  
looked for all the world as if the lovely and usually serene violinist   
  
had been fighting for her composure, a smile twitching at the corner of   
  
her lips. "Hush!"  
  
"Of course, my love!" Haruka had said as she stood nearby with   
  
her hands resting in the pockets of her slacks, her face the very   
  
picture of innocence. "Sorry..."  
  
"Yes, I'm sure you are," Michiru had said as she returned her   
  
attention to the two younger girls.  
  
"Please accept our apologies for any misunderstandings, and these   
  
as a token of our good will," she said as she handed a small photo   
  
envelope to Makoto.  
  
"What is this?" Makoto had asked as she turned the envelope over   
  
in her hand and looked back at the older girls.  
  
"Just a small selection of some of the photographs that Haruka   
  
took this afternoon," Michiru said with a smile.  
  
Makoto opened the envelope, Ami moving closer to her to see the   
  
pictures as well. At the first shot their mouths had dropped open in   
  
shock!  
  
"It seems that spring was most definitely in the air this   
  
afternoon, eh, my little kittens?" Haruka drawled, a lazy smile on her   
  
handsome face.  
  
Inside were six beautifully framed shots of their very first   
  
kiss, the moment captured with an artist's touch and a romantic's   
  
heart. There was also a wonderful shot of them standing in each   
  
other's arms, forehead-to-forehead as they gazed into each other's   
  
eyes, smiles of joy on their faces, and another as they had started to   
  
walk away, hands clasped together, yet still shyly watching one   
  
another.  
  
"We hope you don't mind," came Michiru's quiet voice. "We   
  
weren't trying to be mean-spirited or sneaky. You both just looked so   
  
lovely and so in love that we couldn't resist trying to capture the   
  
moment on film. Is it okay?" she asked, no small amount of concern in   
  
her voice. "Do you like them?" Her eyes beseeched them, Haruka   
  
chewing her lip near by.  
  
With a large swallow, Ami and Makoto had looked at each other,   
  
quietly communicating their feelings to one another. Then, after   
  
looking back at the precious photos in Makoto's hand, Ami had moved   
  
forward, embracing first Michiru and then Haruka, leaving a light kiss   
  
to decorate the blush on the blonde's cheek.  
  
Looking at the older couple in earnest, Makoto had informed them   
  
with watery eyes, yet steady voice, "This was our very first kiss." As   
  
Ami returned to her side and entwined their fingers together she had   
  
continued. "We will cherish these beautiful pictures all the days of   
  
our lives, knowing we will never be able to thank you enough for them!   
  
Thank you, so much!"  
  
Michiru and Haruka stood there open-mouthed at the revelation   
  
they had just received. Then smiled at one another as they realized   
  
the magnitude of what they had caught on film.  
  
"Really? Your first kiss?" Michiru had asked, clearly pleased.   
  
"Then we are doubly honored!"  
  
Taking Haruka's hand she had said, "Let us be the first to   
  
congratulate you on your new relationship and to wish you all the very   
  
best in the journey that lies before you! Right Haruka?"  
  
"Oh yes!" Haruka had readily agreed. "Does this mean I can   
  
bestow some congratulatory kisses?" she said, moving as if to start   
  
distribution plans, a sexy smile on her face.  
  
"No!" came a trio of voices in unison, which resulted in laughter   
  
from them all...  
  
*******  
  
Looking past Ami's sleeping form to their bedside table, Makoto   
  
could see the picture framed there in the dim light from the window.   
  
Caught for all time in love's first kiss, a flurry of cherry blossoms   
  
surrounding them, were her and the only woman she would ever love.   
  
Though it had been taken four years ago, the feelings invoked by that   
  
first kiss had never diminished. They had indeed grown stronger with   
  
each passing day, a fact that still astonished and delighted her.  
  
Smiling tenderly, Makoto leaned forward as she ran her fingers   
  
through Ami's beautiful blue locks. Sleepy blue eyes opened and a   
  
smile graced the sweet face of her beloved as she gently spoke her   
  
name. "Makoto? Are you all right, love?" she asked reaching up with   
  
her hand to stroke her delicate fingers along Makoto's cheek.  
  
Kissing Ami's cheek, she whispered softly, "Aishiteru, Ami-  
  
love... Aishiteru, my heart." 


End file.
